The advertisement claims that legalizing adult-use cannabis would ‘cultivate a whole new generation of meth SDBML Executive Director Matthew Schweich, Oct. 9, 2024, Sioux Falls, S.D.South Dakotans for Better Marijuana LawsPosted by Tony LangeOctober 9 2024CMSBrowserComponents.load({ el: '#vue-1746515106555-169' props: {"cookieName":"parallaxState","cookieValue":"1","expires":1} 2024 – PRESS RELEASE – South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) which is working to pass Initiated Measure 29 to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older in South Dakota I am calling upon our opponents to take down a political ad because it is demonstrably false and deceptive,” Schweich said “This ad in question states: ‘Measure 29 doesn’t just legalize marijuana.’ This statement is made on the screen in large text The question of what Measure 29 legalizes is not a matter of opinion that Measure 29 only legalizes marijuana and marijuana-related products.” Schweich issued a warning to South Dakota media outlets to reject the advertisement if there is an attempt to run it as a television commercial on the basis that doing so would violate Federal Communication Commission rules “I’m here to warn South Dakota television stations that if they run this ad then they will be receiving a letter from me demanding it be taken down,” Schweich said “That letter will make clear that running a deceptive ad of this nature is a violation of FCC standards.” Schweich cited FCC rules “Broadcasters are responsible for selecting the broadcast material that airs on their stations The FCC expects broadcasters to be responsible to the community they serve and act with reasonable care to ensure that advertisements aired on their stations are not false or misleading.” false or misleading claims made by prohibitionists at public forums Gerald James Schweich of LaValle passed away on November 15 1944 to Eugene and Barbara (Dutenhoeffer) Schweich at St He was raised in Minnesota and graduated from Breckenridge He oversaw four major expansions of the company: the construction of a 5,000 square foot facility in Necedah the move to a new 10,000 square foot facility in Reedsburg In 1990 they built a 10,000 square foot facility in Covington and in 1994 they bought a facility in Sercy The 2nd generation officially took over with his son Jim and nephews Jerry and Tom in 2012 A third generation of Schweich’s is now involved in the management of Plateco Inc. with Gerald’s grandson in law Micah Fulton.  They were blessed with three children Cole Gerald is survived by his daughter Cole (Shaun) McCullough of New Lisbon Gerald was preceded in death by his son Adam Michael Schweich A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated for Gerald at 1:00 P.M 2022 at Holy Angels Parish Catholic Church in La Valle Burial will follow at the Oak Lawn Cemetery in LaValle Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 11:00 A.M until the time of the service at the church memorials are preferred in Gerald's name Memorials received will be donated to Gerald's favorite charity or may be made to the charity of your choice The Farber Funeral Home in Reedsburg is assisting the family with arrangements Gerald’s family would like to thank everyone for reaching out to us we would like to thank Reedsburg Area Medical Center especially Becky in ICU for their excellent and loving care AIA Past President Jodi Magness has been invited by the British Academy to deliver the Schweich Lectures on Biblical Archaeology in 2022 Constance Schweich endowed a fund in memory of her father Leopold that was “devoted to the furtherance of research in the archaeology languages and literature of Ancient Civilization with reference to Biblical Study,” thus establishing the Schweich Lectures The lectures occur triennially and the three papers given by each lecturer are published together in book form by Oxford University Press Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill joins an outstanding lineup of previous Schweich Lecturers In addition to serving as President of the AIA from January 2017 – January 2020 Magness has been an AIA Joukowsky Lecturer and is a popular tour leader with AIA Tours Professor Magness was the recipient of the AIA’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and in 2019 she was elected as a member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Copyright © 2025, Archaeological Institute of America. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Yelling Mule - Boston Web Design and now his former spokesman has done the same What has gone wrong in the state's Republican Party Tom Schweich announces his candidacy for governor in January during a eulogy for Tom Schweich on March 3 there are two men dead by apparent suicide in Missouri and the state and its Republican Party are struggling to come to grips with what has happened had died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday or Saturday The two deaths have shaken Missouri politics brought tensions that had been hidden from view to light and have politicians and journalists contemplating the nasty state of politics in the Show-Me State It has some of the most respected figures in the state GOP speaking out in fury and heartbreak and demanding a change in how business is done in which he laid out his friend's faults and recounted conversations with Schweich over the last few weeks of his life to a reportedly stunned congregation is the most visible expression of this grief There's seldom a single or clear explanation for any suicide and there are still many questions about why each man killed himself—especially Jackson but they haven't revealed its contents.) But the conversation since Schweich's death has focused on two major issues: an alleged whisper campaign claiming that Schweich was Jewish and a generally poisonous political environment Schweich, a married father of two, was reelected as auditor in November, and he already had his eye on a higher office—governor of Missouri. In fact, he felt he'd earned the right to run unopposed for the job, according to the Kansas City Star Former state house Speaker Catherine Hanaway decided to run and lined up a $1 million donor was elected chair of the state Republican Party Schweich came to believe there was a whisper campaign suggesting he was Jewish apparently in attempt to hurt his chances with conservative Christian donors but he was an Episcopalian.) He believed Hancock was behind the rumors and planned a press conference to condemn them but when he called Danforth—whom he'd served as chief of staff—the former senator talked him out of it saying it'd make the story about Schweich rather than any slur but then changed his mind and opted to hold a press conference Meanwhile, a radio ad backing Hanaway featured a Frank Underwood imitator mocking Schweich as a Barney Fife lookalike and a "little bug." it was not intended as a slur and that he honestly believed it was true All of that has led a group of powerful voices in Missouri to blame Schweich's death on bullying and to worry about broader cultural concerns the widely respected Danforth blasted "bullies" for contributing to the suicide He also endorsed the idea that anti-Semitism was a factor The only reason for going around saying that someone is Jewish is to make political profit from religious bigotry,” he said he did mention the radio ad and has widely been interpreted as condemning Hancock several Republican leaders have called on Hancock to step down while others have demurred on taking a stance Hancock has mostly stayed out of the spotlight Spence Jackson, the spokesman, was one of those demanding that Hancock leave: “There is no way that the Missouri Republican Party can move forward under his leadership for the reasons that Senator Danforth made It is unconscionable to think that the party can be successful in 2016 with John Hancock as the chairman.” Whether it's right to blame bullying—and there are few alternative theories—a prevailing sentiment is that while what happened to Schweich is awful it's symptomatic of a sick political culture “For the past 15 years or so I have seen a serious deterioration of the values and ethics of folks associated with the Missouri Republican Party, especially folks who call themselves consultants," the longtime GOP operative Paul DeGregorio wrote in a letter to insiders "I believe it is their approach to politics that led to Tom Schweich taking his life.” "Tom Schweich is a martyr for the cause" of cleaner politics, the editorial board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote That was all before Jackson killed himself The next few days will likely offer some more information about his death and may either help explain what happened to Schweich or else deepen the mystery If this is all about fixing Missouri Republican politics Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shocking the state’s political world and throwing turmoil into the state’s 2016 contest for governor "It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of Missouri state Auditor Tom Schweich today," wrote Spence Jackson The announcement followed statements this morning that Schweich was at Barnes-Jewish hospital after what his office described as “a medical situation at his home this morning.” Schweich lived in Clayton Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy said police received a call at about 9:45 a.m. and that Schweich was pronounced dead at Barnes "Everything at this point suggests that it is an apparent suicide,” Murphy said “We are conducting a thorough investigation and we’re doing what we would do in any similar circumstance.” Murphy said an autopsy was scheduled for Friday Jay Nixon canceled a planned Thursday news conference in St and a flurry of political officials in both parties issued statements communicating their sorrow and shock The Missouri House held an afternoon prayer service on behalf of Schweich and his family State records indicate that Schweich may have been the first Missouri statewide official to commit suicide since Gov Thomas Reynolds shot himself in the governor’s mansion in 1844 had announced less than a month ago that he was running for governor At his campaign kick-off at the University of Missouri-St he’d displayed his usual drive as he pledged to be a crusader who would “clean up Jefferson City with a level of intensity transparency and rigor that this state has never seen before.” He had been very visible at the state GOP’s Lincoln Days event last weekend in Kansas City where he hosted a hospitality suite and dished out ice cream But his trademark intensity also was on display Schweich eagerly related to a reporter his pleasure over compliments from party activists the candidate suffered a two-pronged defeat that weekend by the party’s election of GOP consultant John Hancock as the new state party chairman and the ouster of Schweich’s chief of staff Schweich disliked Hancock because the consultant’s firm previously had worked for Schweich’s Republican rival for governor rumors were rampant that Schweich planned a news conference on Tuesday in the state Capitol to accuse Hancock of making disparaging remarks about Jews of telling donors in error that Schweich was Jewish and then he would call for Hancock to step down other than to confirm that he had mentioned in a conversation months ago that he thought Schweich was Jewish He said he had done so in an off-hand way in the context of observing that Hanaway was Catholic Hancock said he later apologized to Schweich for the error Tuesday's alleged news conference never took place the episode appeared in line with Schweich’s passionate approach to politics.  Even for a politician he could be unusually blunt and direct with his praise and criticisms It wasn’t unusual for him to call a reporter with compliments or complaints His speeches were notable for their rapid-fire delivery and often accompanied by witty asides after defeating Democratic incumbent Susan Montee He easily won re-election last November to another four-year term a fact that Schweich and his allies emphasized as proof of his bipartisan appeal Schweich had garnered bipartisan praise for his conduct as state auditor Schweich had a tense relationship with Nixon stemming from the auditor’s lawsuit challenging some of the governor’s budgetary powers Schweich lost the lawsuit but strongly supported the constitutional amendment approved by voters last fall that curbs the governor’s powers when it comes to the state budget Schweich also had been at odds lately with some in the GOP establishment he had gone public with accusations that her top donor His outspoken concern about the corrosive nature of money in politics had prompted Schweich to launch his campaign for governor with self-imposed restrictions on how much money he would accept from a single donor He had called on his best-known rivals — Hanaway and Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster Schweich’s death could prompt other Republicans to consider running for governor.  The impact also will be felt when Nixon names an interim state auditor who according to the state constitution would serve out the remainder of Schweich's term who knew Schweich better than any other political figure said in a statement that the auditor "was my dear friend and long-time colleague.  He was brilliant and energetic and he lived the highest standards of personal conduct and professional ethics.  In the Waco investigation at the United Nations and as state auditor he was the model of excellent public service.  His principles were his passion .. Reporter Rachel Lippmann contributed information for this article poses for a photo at his medical marijuana facility in Sioux Falls Dikun says legalizing recreational pot would give him a chance to both grow his business and prove his argument that pot can be regulated like alcohol Jars of marijuana line a shelf at The Flower Shop Dispensary in Sioux Falls South Dakota’s legal pot industry has started with medical cannabis but voters are deciding whether to also legalize recreational pot Marijuana legalization opponents meet in a Sioux Falls 2022 to hear a presentation on the dangers of pot use and strategize how to convince their friends and neighbors not to pass legalization a second time Kristi Noem speaks during the Family Leadership Summit Recreational marijuana legalization will be back on the South Dakota ballot in November Voters in 2020 approved a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis but it was nullified by a legal challenge South Dakota has been a leader among its Great Plains neighbors: one of the first to legalize recreational use the first to approve both medical and recreational forms on the same ballot and the only one to have its recreational measure reversed recreational marijuana stands alone on the ballot And it likely faces a different demographic of voters — older and perhaps less inclined toward the drug — in a midterm election rather than in a presidential year who organized that campaign and is doing so again this year “I think this is a close race,” he said at a news conference to kick off a statewide voter registration tour last week “We need our people to come out and vote.” Schweich’s campaign is using the messages that won over voters in 2020: Pot prohibition wastes law enforcement resources and makes it difficult to get for medical purposes Schweich added a third argument this year: The will of the voters was overturned “We have done so much work to get to this point,” Schweich said ensuing legal battle and efforts to ensure the Legislature implemented a separate medical marijuana ballot measure “To fail at the final hurdle is just an intolerable thought to me.” But Noem’s successful block of recreational marijuana has inspired a more robust opposition campaign this year a counselor who directs Catholic Social Services in Rapid City said he was caught by surprise when voters decided to legalize pot in 2020 He’s leading an organization called Protecting South Dakota Kids with the message that legalizing pot for adults would be detrimental to children The group has run aggressive ads that feature young children’s faces overlaid with the words: “Future Drug Addicts.” At a campaign event for the group last week at a Sioux Falls go-kart and mini golf amusement park roughly three dozen middle-aged people met to hear a presentation on the dangers of pot use and strategize about how to convince their friends and neighbors not to vote for legalization a second time “I feel like we’re a picket fence on a beach and a tsunami is coming,” said Ed Moses a retired Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who has adapted the anti-pot message he once gave to high school students to an anti-legalization message for voters He pointed to Colorado to argue legalization has opened a host of problems Schweich said the opposition campaign is running on misinformation He said he shares the goal of keeping cannabis away from children but added that opponents “want to use a failed policy of prohibition that has not succeeded even though we’ve tried it for nearly a century.” He conceded that legalizing pot for adults would not make the underground market for it instantly disappear but argued that over time a well-regulated industry could replace it South Dakota’s legal pot industry is just getting started with medical cannabis Since the September opening of The Flower Shop Dispensary in Sioux Falls owner Peter Dikun has seen a steady stream of customers but not enough to make his business profitable yet He is hoping voters legalize recreational pot giving him a chance to both grow his business and prove his argument that pot can be regulated like alcohol He said he’s still trying to convince some family members of that argument before the November election but they will likely vote against it “You’re constantly swimming against the current,” Dikun said This story has corrected the spelling of the name of the organizer of the ballot campaign to legalize recreational marijuana lamented what he said has become a climate “where politics is only for the tough Danforth delivered his emotional address just feet away from Schweich's flag-draped casket the service featured moving music from the church's choir Schweich was in the early stages of a 2016 Republican bid for governor when he stunned Missouri’s political world by killing himself last Thursday with a self-inflicted gunshot didn’t single out any culprits by name during his 18-minute address in which he declared “the bully should get the blame Schweich's press secretary Spence Jackson called for state Republican Party chairman John Hancock to step down because of allegations that Hancock is anti-Semitic and had been spreading rumors that Schweich was Jewish and Schweich had expressed pride in his background Hancock and his allies have denied the accusations The GOP split over the emotional dispute was evident at the conclusion of Danforth’s 18-minute address.  A portion of the audience erupted into applause The standing-room-only crowd included most of Missouri’s political leaders most of the General Assembly’s leadership and dozens of legislators none of the officials would publicly comment on Danforth’s remarks although one top Republican privately lamented the apparent intent of the retired senator's message Accusations of anti-Semitism continue to swirl after calling two reporters to ask them to meet at his house to discuss religion issues Schweich had canceled a news conference that he had planned to hold a couple days earlier in order to level accusations against Hancock Danforth acknowledged that he’d discouraged Schweich from going public with such accusations saying that he feared the spotlight would be too much on Schweich and not on his assertions Danforth said he had advised Schweich to “feed the story to the press.” Danforth said he regretted offering such advice I had always told him to take the high ground and never give it up,’’ Danforth said But Danforth also implied that other factors may have played a role in Schweich’s distress When Schweich first told him in 2009 that he wanted to run for office Danforth said he had questioned whether Schweich had the temperament for politics “He was a person easily hurt and quickly offended,’’ Danforth said Danforth acknowledged – as have others – that Schweich had won general praise for his performance as auditor since winning election in 2010 Schweich had no Democratic opponent when he was re-elected last fall In remarks directed at Schweich's two children Danforth said that his family should be proud of his service "The legacy your father has passed on to you is this: to fight for what is right; to always seize the high ground and never give it up." Schweich had been Danforth's chief of staff when the former senator oversaw the federal investigation into Waco in the mid-1990s "Tom was the model of what a public servant should be,'' Danforth said He was highly ethical and like the indignant prophets of Biblical times he was passionate about his responsibility for righting wrongs." Schweich had launched an aggressive campaign for governor just five weeks ago in which he lambasted both of his major rivals – fellow Republican Catherine Hanaway and Democrat Chris Koster.  Schweich and Hanaway jockeyed for support at the state GOP’s recent Lincoln Days festivities which saw the auditor's last major political appearance before his death Schweich had made no secret of his opposition to Hancock who was elected chairman by the state party’s executive committee at a meeting during the Lincoln Days weekend.  Hancock although he promised the committee he would not work for any Missouri clients through 2016 the 68-member committee participated in a straw poll that showed their preference for Hanaway Schweich's press secretary Spence called today for Hanaway to disavow Hancock (Neither Hanaway nor Hancock attended the memorial service.) Hancock has denied leading any sort of whispering campaign but has acknowledged that he made a casual -- and erroneous -- comment last fall about Schweich’s religion Hancock has said he did so as part of a general discussion with a party activist about religion in general Hancock says he also observed during that same conversation that Hanaway was Catholic Hancock says he later apologized to Schweich and that the two had not talked since November rumors were circulating that the state GOP executive committee had asked Hancock to step down.  Hancock was not returning calls Tuesday seeking comment State Republican Party executive Jonathan Prouty said in a statement "Today is not an appropriate time to engage in political back-and-forth the Republican field for governor already has been tossed into turmoil.  Hanaway remains the only high-profile GOP candidate But several other names are now being tossed into the mix He was among those attending Tuesday's service spokesman for the late Missouri auditor Tom Schweich according to a press release from the Jefferson City Police Department His death is being investigated as a suicide The news release stated that at 7 p.m Jefferson City police went to check on Jackson at the behest of a family member "indicated that Jackson died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound." along with an examination of the apartment did not indicate any signs of forced entry or struggle but detectives began a full investigation with the assistance of patrol personnel to canvas the area and contact those who knew Jackson," the release stated "This investigation is still an open investigation and no details regarding findings will be released as of yet." Doug Shoemaker said their investigation so far does not include any possible link to Schweich’s suicide last month: “We are very aware of the political issues that are alleged with Mr “but our agency won’t comment or really entertain questions that might link Mr Shoemaker did say that Jefferson City investigators have contacted authorities in Clayton where Schweich lived and where he fatally shot himself last month He did say that it appears Jackson died sometime early during the weekend an earlier release from the police department incorrectly gave his age as 45 state Auditor John Watson called Jackson "a respected spokesman for the auditor’s office and long-time servant in state government." "The work of the Missouri auditor’s office will continue in this difficult time but no doubt it will be with heavy heart," said Watson who is serving as state auditor on an interim basis Jackson had served as Schweich's spokesman since 2011 he worked as communications official for a number of prominent Republican officials -- including former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman and former Gov some of the state's top Republican officials remembered Jackson as a smart witty and vigorous communications official Blunt said that he and his wife were "deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Spence Jackson who was a good friend for many years." "Spence was a gifted communicator who dedicated his talents in public affairs to public service," Blunt said "Over his career he served as chief spokesman for three of Missouri's statewide offices including that of the governor when I held that post We mourn his passing and offer our prayers to his family and friends." Other prominent Missouri officials who knew and worked with Jackson expressed sadness about his death through social media: When I left @AuditorSchweich's office He understood the nuance and skill of flacking for a statewide elected My condolences to friends and family of Spence Jackson Spence Jackson, #RIP took his own life in February after accusing state Republican Party chairman John Hancock of spreading rumors that he was Jewish Danforth calling for an end to smear campaigns At Schweich's funeral, Jackson called for Hancock to resign. Hancock has forcefully denied that he engaged in any religiously bigoted campaign against Schweich. After Schweich's death, Nixon appointed Watson, his longtime chief of staff, to serve as interim auditor. He's expected to pick a permanent successor to Schweich soon. Republican Party executive director Jonathon Prouty said in a statement to St Louis Public Radio that Jackson "was an aggressive and successful communicator who spent years effectively advancing the Republican cause and the conservative agenda." and our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family," Prouty said worked with Jackson in Blunt's administration He described his former colleague as a "wonderful person" who "never met a stranger." "He really loved and enjoyed what he did," said Harris in a telephone interview "I know he loved and enjoyed working for Auditor Schweich and respected Tom immensely." there's been plenty of discussion about whether the discourse in the state's political community has gotten too toxic Harris said the deaths of Schweich and Jackson should mean that "people in politics – and especially within the Republican Party – have to reflect on what are we doing and what we should change." "I do think it’s probably time to reflect – whether it’s party leaders candidates or others – about what should we all strive to improve upon so that our candidates are better able to articulate their visions better able to go out and communicate with citizens about what their vision is to move the state forward," Harris said people have personal relationships and this whole situation has been so traumatic from so many different angles." Harris said the last few weeks should prompt people "to stop and pause and go ‘what we do we need to do to improve … things?’" It is not good for the families that have lost loved ones It’s not good for some many different things And it is a time probably to pause and reflect." Marshall Griffin contributed to this story — State Auditor and 2016 candidate for governor died on Thursday morning as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy said police would continue to investigate and that an autopsy was scheduled for Friday morning Murphy said that there was “nothing to suggest” the case was not a suicide and that Schweich’s family was fully cooperating “What we know at this point suggests an apparent suicide,” Murphy said Clayton Police and emergency services were called to Schweich’s Clayton residence at 9:48 AM Thursday morning in connection with a gunshot wound Schweich was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at BJC in Clayton was first elected in 2010 and sailed to an unchallenged re-election bid last year he formally announced his candidacy for governor in 2016 setting up a primary against former House Speaker Catherine Hanaway Schweich contacted reporters from the Associated Press and the St inviting them to his Clayton home for an interview which concerned a “top GOP official” in Missouri “spreading false information” about Schweich’s gubernatorial bid Missouri lawmakers at every level and on both sides of the aisle issued statements mourning Schweich’s passing and offering prayers for his family With nearly 7 million Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease there has been a lot of discussion about the best ways to serve elderly parents suffering from the condition But my family’s experiences have made me think long and hard about what will happen to me when and if I find myself living as my father did – until recently my father had a serious case of joie de vivre He loved making sunny affirmations like “Clean livin’!” every time he nabbed a parking spot and stood by the motto “There’s no such thing as bad candy.” His spirit animal was a chimp My dad’s tales of learning to fly on the sly and the winking way he teased my no-nonsense mother — he never did buy that luxury Catamaran he claimed was in storage — taught me to be on the lookout for fun in everyday experiences he started repeating the same antic stories and the man who’d taught me how to drive had an unprecedented series of fender benders My mother took him to a neuropsychiatrist for testing and the results indicated that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s His journey from diagnosis to death this past December from missing a birthday to forgetting how to use a straw he taught me another important lesson: How I don’t want to die I felt helpless witnessing my dad’s devolution from happy warrior to hapless prisoner trapped in a failing body that kept him alive well after his mind could find pleasure in anything But watching his long goodbye also filled me with dread: Alzheimer’s runs in my father’s family and the risk of developing it increases with age so his recent past could be my not-that-distant future While some people with Alzheimer’s seem to be in the words of a geriatrician friend of mine “pleasantly demented,” generally going with the flow and enjoying simple pleasures like visits from grandchildren confusion leads to irritability and acting out — not just in unfamiliar circumstances or when their hygiene is being attended to but when they’re trying to perform routine activities like getting ready to leave the house A Harvard Law grad and the former CEO of a privately-held company he’d spent his career as a self-starter always searching for new projects As his executive function diminished and he grew increasingly dependent on his helpmate of 65 years for everything from shaving to plumping his pillows at night his helplessness exacerbated his lifelong tendency toward impatience my mother drifted out of his sightlines for a moment and attempts at walks in the park and the art museum fizzled before they even started He fought any change in routine — sometimes physically as when my mother tried to hire a burly health care aide to help him shower Perhaps this combativeness was due to changes in his brain chemistry or because his neurological deficits made it hard for him to recognize that he was impaired Researchers speculate that the degraded memories of some people with AD make it hard for them to update their self-image so their sense of their own capabilities stays frozen in time his restlessness worsened along with his frailty he did a face-plant in my parents’ carpeted bedroom and broke his collarbone because my dad could no longer stand unassisted My mother chose a facility with a home-like setup where residents are grouped in separate units within a suburban condo development It looked reassuringly familiar from the outside but visitors who stepped through the front door into the living room entered another world A dozen well-tended seniors milled aimlessly stared vacantly at the Hallmark movie on the giant TV screen cuddled stuffed animals or played bingo with visitors Cries of “I want to go home!” were deflected by sympathetic but overworked staffers who knew that their default response “Your ride’s not till later,” would be forgotten within minutes banging his fist on his thighs and angrily repeating the name of the street where he grew up as if trying to return to the place where he’d left his true identity Medicating him to be simultaneously calm and conscious was challenging because chemical cocktails strong enough to soothe him tended to put him to sleep moved to a lovely independent living community and settled my dad into the memory care unit down the hall better food and manicured gardens outside his window didn’t lift his mood he was scowling and muttering incoherently If he had known that the end of his life was going to be like this would he have wanted his family to medicate him with sedatives and antipsychotics to the fullest extent Would he have instructed us to withhold all medical interventions after Could he have told us that turning his head away from spoon feedings would mean he wanted nourishment to stop he would have had to have made his wishes known when he was mentally competent My dad did leave a living will — a majority of Americans don’t give their loved ones any documented guidance about their end-of-life wishes — requesting that he not be intubated put on a ventilator or resuscitated after receiving a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to live but they only apply to seriously ill people in their final days Alzheimer’s disease is degenerative and irreversible takes three to eight years — even 20 — to kill its victims some of those years will hold moments of joy — being present at school graduations Savoring a melting sunset or a creamy panna cotta is nothing to sneer at But having a measure of control after dementia takes hold requires planning (Many states now have Medical Aid in Dying Laws but physician-assisted death is only an option for the terminally ill who are of sound mind when they make the decision.) I intend to tell my loved ones what I want face to face on video and in a written advance directive I’ll download from my state government website or an advocacy group such as Compassion & Choices Many of these forms present hypothetical scenarios users might not have thought of such as whether they would want to take part in clinical trials or if My father was a lifelong subscriber to the local symphony had often said that life was worth living “as long as I can listen to opera.” In his final months it was apparent that having “The Magic Flute” playing on the radio and listening to it which requires an attentiveness he no longer had I used to be in my father’s camp — believing that any sensual pleasure I could derive from hearing rock-and-roll or eating gelato made living worthwhile But he showed me how those moments can’t compensate for the rest of a day’s 24 hours when they’re full of distress Cindy Schweich Handler is retired editor of Montclair Magazine my husband and I have hosted our extended family’s Thanksgiving dinner with cousins from New York and California gathering in North Jersey to share the same beloved rituals we lean into each other in the kitchen and catch up over my aunt’s appetizers and my uncle’s wine Then we squeeze into 17 chairs in the dining room and gorge ourselves on my husband’s stuffed turkey my sister’s sweet potatoes and my pumpkin pie custom calls for sucking in our guts for a group photo then loosening our belts in relief and collapsing in the study Thanksgiving 2020 won’t look or feel like it has in seasons past and it’s going to be sad passing plates across the table instead of around it But I’m heartened by another tradition my family observes that we can continue this year one that gives me perspective during a challenging time to keep the assembled together in the interval between the turkey and the pumpkin pie — and not nodding off in front of NFL football — someone suggested a game: We would all make predictions for the following year and we’d check the results the next Thanksgiving to see who came closest most often With the assembled ranging in age from 11 to 82 And what began as a way to keep tryptophan-wearied loved ones awake became a highlight of our annual get-togethers when the most likely contenders started premiering in December Super Bowl champs yielded some years to World Series winners and there were three presidential races to decide Since several of the gathered work in finance two continuous threads over the years have been about stock market highs and unemployment lows which my husband and I have stored in our attic there were votes for Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich as most likely candidates for president; only one of us expected Donald Trump to win in 2016 Almost all of us knew “Game of Thrones” would score for Best Drama in 2019; almost none of us knew the Red Sox were going to win the 2018 World Series and tied with me for most clueless about sports — was the one who correctly predicted the NY Giants winning the Super Bowl To-go: 15 delicious Thanksgiving desserts in North Jersey that aren't pumpkin pie Column: COVID Thanksgiving will keep extended family away, but is that so bad in an election year? Gobble, gobble: Where to buy a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving in New Jersey We never had a category for “Most unexpected world event,” but if we had would any of us have guessed “global pandemic” Nostradamus probably would have missed that one we’d be quarantining and social distancing Who could have imagined the oversized role masks How many of us knew we’d need Zoom to connect But there’s something else our forecasts show me Looking at our economic predictions over nine years a pattern emerges: The most optimistic ones always won we were two years away from the Great Recession and the Dow Jones industrial average stood at about 12,000 The jobless rate in 2011 stood at 9%; you had to be a cockeyed optimist to think it would continue downward to 5% by 2015 and 3.7% four years later this will be the first Thanksgiving when the most pessimistic unemployment forecast triumphs (Uncle Bob came closest; it’s currently about 7%) But our prediction history has shown me how It’s reassuring to remember this when coronavirus cases are on the rise and the immediate future of public health isn’t encouraging we should be able to return to the routines we love Does that mean being back together again next Thanksgiving I like to think so. But in the meantime my extended family will be Zooming our predictions to each other from our laptops We’ll make our best guesses for the short term — whatever the topic most of us will be wrong — and try to have faith in the ameliorating effects of time Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker died on Thursday in an apparent suicide after he went public with allegations that rivals in the GOP planned to mount an anti-Semitic ‘whisper campaign” about his Jewish heritage The suicide came minutes after he called the Associated Press to accuse John Hancock Schweich was a churchgoing Episcopalian but his grandfather was Jewish Hancock later denied making anti-Semitic remarks about Schweich but admitted that he believed Schweich was Jewish because of his last name “Until recently, I mistakenly believed that Tom Schweich was Jewish, but it was simply a part of what I believed to be his biography — no different than the fact that he was from St. Louis and had graduated from Harvard Law School,” Hancock said in a statement to the state’s Republican committee. Political columnist Tony Messenger wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Schweich had disclosed the existence of the anti-Semitic “whisper campaign” a few days ago Schweich told the columnist his grandfather was Jewish and that he was “very proud of his connection to the Jewish faith.” “He said his grandfather taught him to never allow any anti-Semitism go unpunished no matter how slight,” Messenger said in a written statement Even though the columnist conceded he didn’t know if the campaign drove Schweich to suicide he believed it deeply disturbed the candidate especially in a deeply conservative state where racism and anti-Semitism still loom large as evidenced by last year’s shooting rampage just across the border at a JCC in surburban Overland Park The Post-Dispatch reported that Schweich had contacted the Anti-Defamation League about his allegations had been re-elected in November after serving for four years and announced a month ago he would seek his party’s nomination for governor Police were called to Schweich’s house in Clayton Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy told a news conference “Everything at this point suggests that it is an apparent suicide,” Murphy said adding Schweich’s family was cooperating with the investigation Schweich was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead of a single gunshot wound declining to say where the bullet struck him A handgun was used and at least one family member was in the house at the time Murphy said investigators were talking to Schweich’s family and friends An autopsy is expected to be conducted on Friday a lawyer and former acting assistant secretary in the U.S devoted and accomplished public servant who dedicated his career to making Missouri and the world a better place,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement Nixon ordered flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Schweich The Forward’s staff contributors are listed in our masthead I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association Danforth says he’s not giving up in his quest to force the ouster of Missouri GOP chairman whom Danforth blames for an alleged anti-Semitic “whispering campaign’’ that Danforth believes prompted state Auditor Tom Schweich to kill himself “I think (Hancock) should be repudiated by all Republicans,’’ Danforth said in a telephone interview late Thursday.  The retired senator added that he was not calling for Hancock’s resignation and instead wanted Hancock to be forced out "Does our party stand for what happened to Tom Schweich?" Danforth declared Hancock has denied making any anti-Semitic comments, or waging any sort of whispering campaign against Schweich Danforth confirmed that he persuaded wealthy Republican contributor David Humphreys to sign an affidavit — released Thursday night — that alleges Hancock mentioned erroneously that Schweich was Jewish during a Nov Schweich’s father and grandfather were Jewish but Schweich — like Danforth — was an Episcopalian three other major Republican donors -- including business magnate Sam Fox of Clayton -- sent out a note to party leaders calling for them to take Humphreys' accusation seriously "We regard this voluntary affidavit as an important development in the situation we have all been following since Tom Schweich’s tragic death.  We trust you will do the right thing," the donors wrote "We also want to express our displeasure with the attacks that have been made on the role played by former Senator Jack Danforth in this matter.  Jack Danforth’s record of integrity and public service to both our state and nation are beyond reproach." The letter was sent to all 68 members of the state Republican executive committee as well as all Missouri Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly and in Congress Humphreys’ affidavit is the first from a donor alleging that Hancock made a comment about Schweich being Jewish Humphreys also was one of Schweich’s top donors giving his campaigns more than $300,000 since 2009 Humphreys states in the sworn affidavit that Hancock “used words to the effect you know he (Tom Schweich) is Jewish.’  The meaning I took from Mr Hancock’s statement and tone of his comments was clear: … that being Jewish is a negative attribute for Tom Schweich’s gubernatorial race.” Humphreys added in a statement that he "vowed there and then to no longer give Hancock any money for any reason." Hancock denies making any such comment to Humphreys during that Nov which took place in Joplin.  Hancock contended in an interview that he had believed his relationship with Humphreys had been amiable until the affidavit "came out of the blue." “I did not hear John Hancock say anything about Tom Schweich being Jewish,’’ said Mouton in a telephone interview Danforth says he doesn’t accept the denials and Danforth called the donor “a very prominent Republican a very prominent businessman and a lawyer by training.” Danforth said he telephoned Humphreys on Tuesday, after hearing about the Nov. 24 meeting with Hancock, in order to get the donor’s account of what was said.  During that call, Danforth said he persuaded Humphreys to sign the affidavit, as a counter to Hancock’s public denials last week. Hancock was elected chairman of the state Republican Party at a Feb 21 meeting of the party's 68-member executive board Schweich had opposed Hancock's election.  Schweich's chief of staff was ousted as party vice chair at that same meeting Hancock has denied any such anti-Semitic campaign.  The radio spot — which disparaged Schweich as a “little bug’’ — has been linked to allies of Schweich’s rival for the 2016 Republican nomination for governor former state House Speaker Catherine Hanaway had alleged earlier this month that Hancock confirmed to her that he had told Republican donors and activists that Schweich was Jewish Hancock has denied that any such conversation took place Hancock acknowledged that he might have made a passing reference during a September meeting with Humphreys that he thought Schweich was Jewish But Hancock said he would have done so in the context of a discussion about the Catholic vote had been working for Hanaway.  She is Catholic "I met with David Humphreys on two occasions — Sept it is possible that I mentioned what I believed to be Tom Schweich’s religion it would have been at our earlier meeting and it certainly was not in a derogatory manner I absolutely did not make that mistake at our November meeting because I had learned otherwise 10 days previously.” Hancock was referring to a conversation he had with Danforth on Nov in which Danforth made clear Schweich was not Jewish  Hancock says he later apologized to Schweich.  Hancock has made public an email from Danforth after their conversation in which the former senator implied that he believed Hancock’s denial of any malicious intent Danforth said Thursday that he has had no doubt that Hancock sought to damage Schweich politically “I think it’s very important to have this record set straight,’’ the former senator said Danforth also is beseeching fellow Republicans in Missouri to consider a key question: “Was the campaign against Tom Schweich within the range of acceptable politics “What was done to Tom was beyond the pale and we cannot let it stand.” to reaffirmed his denials.  Hancock implied that he might be prepared to resign shortly -- a sentiment echoed in a subsequent interview He said he wants to do what is best for his family and for the state Republican Party Hancock has said he has been busy in recent days raising money to pay off the state party's debt accumulated under the previous chairman But what appears to be fueling Hancock most He said late Thursday that he was mystified as to why Danforth are continuing to press accusations that Hancock says are unfounded “To say that I am bitterly disappointed that this is coming from Jack Danforth is a gross understatement,'' Hancock said This is not the Jack Danforth I thought I knew." business owners and opinion makers signed an open letter to Missouri Audtor Tom Schweich urging him to run for Governor in 2016 “Congratulations on your overwhelming reelection as Missouri State Auditor,” the letter reads “As you mentioned in your Election Night remarks Missouri must now confront the serious challenges facing our great state By virtue of your experience and talents we believe that you are the perfect candidate to provide the critical leadership as Missouri’s next Governor.” [See full letter below] Some high profile names found on the letter include former Missouri Senator and U.S former state senator and current state representative Kevin Engler along with a slew of other officials and business owners Schweich has been rumored to be mulling a gubernatorial bid nearly since his election to auditor the only other Republican who has declared intentions thus far is expected to line up an impressive stack of current and former state lawmakers to support her campaign The letter comes on the tail of a fundraiser hosted by former Republican national committeewoman Ann Dickinson on behalf of Hanaway which featured Hanaway supporter and former senator Today’s letter is no doubt a subtle reminder that Schweich would have his own sizeable block of support elected officials and donors across Missouri sent a strong message today that they believe the best chance Republicans have to take the Governor’s Mansion in 2016 would be to coalesce behind Tom Schweich who’s won statewide twice in impressive fashion and never lost a an election,” Gregg Keller A primary between Hanaway and Schweich would likely be expensive and bloody Both candidates have significant financial backing and in a full-blown fight for the governor’s mansion Schweich has not yet formally announced his 2016 intentions Rachael Herndon contributed to this report AN OPEN LETTER TO STATE AUDITOR TOM SCHWEICH November 19 Congratulations on your overwhelming reelection as Missouri State Auditor As you mentioned in your Election Night remarks By virtue of your experience and talents we believe that you are the perfect candidate to provide the critical leadership as Missouri’s next Governor You have a record of effective leadership that shows you can be an effective Governor During your time as Missouri Auditor you’ve earned high marks from Republican and Democrats alike as tough but fair Embattled Missouri Republican Party chairman John Hancock has launched a major public offensive to refute allegations that he had conducted an anti-Semitic “whispering campaign” against state Auditor Tom Schweich Critics assert that "whispering campaign" contributed to the auditor’s suicide on Feb 14 email exchange he had on the issue with retired Sen in which Danforth indicated at the time that he believed Hancock’s denial “I trust you and am counting on you to make us proud,” Danforth wrote Danforth delivered a homily in which he asserted that an anti-Semitic smear campaign had led to Schweich’s death A spokeswoman said Thursday that Danforth is declining any additional comment several legislators critical of Hancock held a news conference Thursday morning in Jefferson City to call for Hancock to step down as party chairman Hancock had been elected to the post five days before Schweich’s suicide Hancock first appeared Thursday morning on Charlie Brennan’s show on KMOX radio where Hancock until recently has periodically appeared as a guest host He later planned to sit down for interviews with various news outlets It was the party chairman's first major public appearance since Schweich's death In a two-page statement first read on KMOX Hancock repeated the basics – albeit with more detail – of the denials he has been delivering for weeks ever since Schweich’s assertions first began circulating a few days before he shot himself Schweich said that Hancock had falsely told GOP activists and donors that he was Jewish in an attempt to hurt his campaign for governor and help his chief GOP rival for governor Schweich’s grandfather was Jewish and his father is Jewish but Schweich – like Danforth -- was an Episcopalian “It is clear there was no ‘whisper campaign,’ ’’ Hancock said noting that no evidence has surfaced other than repeated assertions by some in Schweich’s inner circle Hancock’s allies have alleged that Schweich may have been mentally ill a former legislator,  cited his own political career and said there has never been any previous accusations or evidence that he was anti-Semitic “I find bigotry to be one of the most detestable character traits that could be assigned to any human being,” he said “Because of these past interactions directly with Sen my sense of hurt and confusion over his homily last week is profound,” Hancock said Hancock recalled Danforth’s own experience with explosive allegations in 1991 when the senator defended his former aide – Clarence Thomas – from accusations of sexual harassment during the confirmation hearings that resulted in Thomas joining the U.S I agree with Jack Danforth,’’ Hancock said “Anti-Semitism and bigotry have no place in the Republican Party And I am grateful for the many who have defended me against gales charges just as vigorously as Sen Danforth once defended a friend who was nominated for the U.S Hancock hopes to stay on as party chairman "I just want to get back to work,'' he said on KMOX "I had known from the beginning that none of this was true." the state Republican Party issued supportive statements from 22 people state House Majority Leader Ron Richard and St who told reporters Thursday that he was staying out of the controversy over Hancock and leaving the decision to the state GOP committee the group of dissident legislators -- most of them Schweich's allies -- said that the battle has paralyzed the party and that Hancock needs to be replaced the party is not working,'' said state Sen He and the others at the news conference called for the state GOP to do more in line with Danforth's call to end divisive campaigns.  Pearce said that Schweich committed suicide "because of all this negative garbage." The group also contended that Hanaway needed to "answer some tough questions'' about her campaign's actions Schweich’s suspicions appeared linked to his longstanding distrust of Hancock because Hancock’s firm has worked in the past for Hanaway Hancock’s firm also worked for John Brunner at a time when Schweich was considering his own bid for the office Hancock has acknowledged that he once had thought Schweich was Jewish but he has denied engaging in any sort of “whispering campaign’’ to spread it Danforth (in November) that I mistakenly had believed Tom was Jewish but could not remember a single instance of relaying that to anyone in particular and I strongly denied having done so with any malicious intent as such a thing is not consistent with my character,” Hancock said in his statement Hancock also denied that he has ever met with any donor on behalf of Hanaway Hancock said he had discussed the matter with Schweich in November and thought the two “had cleared the air.’’ Hancock added that he and Danforth had communicated more in January in an amiable exchange of emails that Hancock said implied that the senator still believed his account Hancock acknowledged that he continued to have run-ins for months with Schweich’s staff He contended that Schweich's chief of staff Trish Vincent – among others – “spread rumors that I was anti-Semitic that affidavits had been prepared and that ‘when the truth came out,’ my career would be destroyed.” no affidavits have emerged in which people have backed up the Schweich camp’s claims Schweich's allies have referred to a businessman in Kansas City who has said that he had talked to Hancock's brother-in-law who had mentioned that he heard Schweich was Jewish Schweich's chief of staff Vincent appeared Wednesday on radio station KTRS to assert that Hancock had admitted to her months ago that he had been spreading the incorrect information about Schweich’s religion Schweich did not go public with his accusations until several days after Hancock was elected party chairman Feb 21 by the state GOP’s 68-member executive committee.  Fifty of the members backed Hancock the committee voted to oust Vincent as vice chairman.  The panel then engaged in a straw poll regarding the governor’s race Schweich – an intense man – was upset by the panel’s actions Schweich had planned to hold a news conference in Jefferson City airing his accusations against Hancock and calling for him to step down (Danforth said in his homily that he advised Schweich instead to leak the information to reporters.) Vincent called Danforth’s office to report that she was concerned about Schweich’s “emotional state.” According to an account released by Danforth Vincent asked his chief assistant – Martha Fitz – to call Schweich’s wife that it took her two hours to reach Kathy Schweich Kathy told me that Tom was up and about and had been making phone calls Tom then picked up the phone and talked to me for about three minutes.” “He spoke solely about his outrage concerning the rumors that were being spread about his religion and how he should respond to those rumors,” Fitz recalled “I told him I thought it was best to let others stand up for him He then threatened to kill himself and handed the phone back to Kathy ‘He shot himself!’ Kathy then called 911 on another line while I stayed on the first line with her until the paramedics arrived.” Schweich was taken to Barnes-Jewish hospital Schweich had telephoned at least two reporters to ask them to come to his home that afternoon to discuss religion Hancock has acknowledged that the controversy has hurt him personally and professionally.  But he said he is grateful for the friends in both political parties who have stood by him and declared their confidence in his innocence Hancock said there are several lessons made clear by the controversy and certainly not unsubstantiated rumors.  In the end the truth almost always comes out eventually.” View Visitation & Service details > Condolence Message: Be sure to include your name Please note that your condolence will not appear on this page until it is reviewed Condolences usually appear within 24 hours of being submitted My deepest sympathy to your family.  I only had the priviledge of meeting Maureen on occasion but she was a sweet and gentle lady.She is a peace now and beholding the face of Jesus.      Jean Spangler,   friend of Frank and Mary Rose Our seven funeral homes in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties makes it easy and convenient to make arrangements and host services close to home Update: Public pension audit released Sept Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich says embezzlement is on the rise and is asking for help in identifying corrupt public officials Schweich says his team has identified 32 cases of missing monies totaling $2.3 million about half of which has been returned to the state “We’ve been able to identify the person involved in over 20 of those cases He encourages Missourians suspicious of such activity to contact his office’s toll-free confidential hotline at 1-800-347-8597 “It’s a combination of a ‘get what you can’ mentality with some economic problems and that leads to a lot of public officials just saying ‘wow there’s a lot of cash coming through my office.’ Whether it’s court clerk or sheriff’s deputy or a county collector we found all those kinds of people stealing money from the taxpayers.” the former MSU employee found to have embezzled over $1 million from the university bookstore; it was discovered through an internal audit Lawmakers have since passed legislation that would strip corrupt public officials from receiving a pension if convicted of felonies that breach the public’s trust Schweich says his office conducts a much more detailed financial review Speaking with KSMU this week, Schweich touched on myriad of topics, including a recent audit critical of Democratic Governor Jay Nixon for withholding $172 million from several state programs during fiscal year 2012 Nixon had done so to help cover the costs of the Joplin tornado and other recent natural disasters Those withholds were the subject of a lawsuit filed by Schweich against Nixon three years, but the case was rejected by the Missouri Supreme Court The governor has declared additional budget withholdings in subsequent years the governor can withhold money when revenues are below expectations when there simply won’t be enough money to fund all the programs But what this governor’s been doing has been withholding even when revenues are above expectations When all the money is there and he just doesn’t want to give the legislature the opportunity to override the veto.” The state auditor says he’s supportive of a November ballot initiative, Amendment 10 which would limit the governor’s ability to withhold funding from the state budget Missouri auditor is the only statewide position on the ballot this election cycle and is a favorite in November’s general election which features a Libertarian and Constitution party candidate A possible gubernatorial candidate in 2016 Schweich says his focus right now is on reelection as auditor Schweich noted that his office has begun its audit of the City of Joplin The auditor’s office was also invited in to review Joplin Public Schools financial books Schweich says citizens have expressed concern about the way money has been spent in the wake of the 2011 tornado “We don’t know if there’s anything wrong or not But we’ll take a very deep look into it and see if they handled their relief money properly if their purchases have been in accordance with state law and if they’ve adhered to all the restrictions on the donations they’ve received.” He hopes to have that audit complete by early 2015 Next month, his office is also set to release an audit on the state’s nearly 90 public pension systems (released Sept. 30) He says the good news is a majority of those pensions are “pretty solvent,” but noted that roughly five of the smaller ones in the state are in “serious trouble” and will require further review Schweich declined to name those pensions ahead of the published audit “People wanna know ‘are our pensions solvent Will the people who are entitled to that pension money get the money?’ So I initiated a very lengthy and detailed study over a year ago of our 89 pension systems and in a few days we’ll release the results of that.” Schweich says this will be the first comprehensive study that has been done on pensions in Missouri in over 30 years He says sometimes pensions come down to a tax “Sometimes they really have the money they’re just not investing it well or they’re not handling it right or they have too much in the way of administrative costs Our objective is to help pension become solvent if they’re not solvent and make sure they remain solvent if they are.” In April, voters in Springfield renewed the city’s ¾-cent police-fire pension sales tax It was first brought before citizens in 2009 when the pension plan was estimated to be underfunded by $200 million The plan is now projected to be brought into full funding within five years John Danforth leaves funeral for Tom Schweich John Danforth denounced the ugly nature of American politics Tuesday while eulogizing Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich suggesting that political bullying and an anti-Semitic whisper campaign led his friend to kill himself Danforth expressed "overwhelming anger that politics has gone so hideously wrong" as he spoke at a memorial service that drew many of Missouri's top elected officials and hundreds of others to the Episcopal church that Schweich had attended in suburban St Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Join the MNN Newsletter for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Columbia Missourian MBA and Vox magazine build connections across Missouri Meet Columbia residents who are living their best life over 50 along with tips and resources to take advantage of all Columbia has to offer. Read more stories. In this special publication for The District find out what activities and shopping you can do in downtown Columbia this spring Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist The Columbia Parents’ Digest is a newsletter to keep you in the know about raising kids in Columbia Start your day with the latest news stories for Columbia Receive a roundup of the news of the day each evening. (View a sample.) Get the latest Mizzou and local high school sports stories delivered to your inbox Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account The Missouri Times sat down with State Auditor Thomas Schweich for an in-depth Q&A. For the ease of our readers, we have broken the interview into three parts, dividing the topics of conservation accordingly.  Nixon’s implication that lifting campaign limits elicits corruption Schweich: If campaign contribution limits could be passed in a manner that is fair to all sides Here’s the problem with what is being proposed now limit what you can contribute to a statewide official all that will happen is that the money will go to the Super PAC’s and then you’ll have people running that have no control over the message that is coming out It’ll just divert the money somewhere else The other thing you’ll have is the union’s and the trial lawyers nobody is talking about limiting what they can bundle together and so there is an obvious benefit to Democrats over Republicans but it’s an effort to gain a competitive advantage TMT: Bonding is coming down the pipe from the legislature Schweich: Well I sit on some of those boards so I should see what those proposals look like before I comment I’m not going to talk about that right now TMT: Do you audit low income and historic preservation tax credits which will be released at the end of the year We’re also doing the Brownfield tax credit as well TMT: What’s the timeframe on when they might be complete Schweich: A lot of an audit is out of our control The level of cooperation with the subject of the audit determines how long it takes We give them an opportunity to review and comment on it My objective is to have both of those out this year you were a little lonely in the row you were sitting in What does the Republican Party need to do to win statewide elections as you have Schweich: Well I’m going to talk a little more about that at Lincoln Days and give my full view on it then Some of the stuff coming out of the party after November it was like they thought we won a resounding victory We did get veto proof majorities in both Houses Most of the ones I’ve spoken to say it wasn’t the party that got them elected I think the purpose of the state party is to win statewide and we lost five out of six statewide elections and all I saw was rosy discussion about having a good year When the top of the ticket wins by 10 points and you lose 5 of 6 On a national level the party is struggling to appeal to minorities and young people But on the state level we have to make sure we have highly qualified candidates who are well vetted and good on the campaign stump Some candidates had shortcomings in that area They weren’t in the right race or shouldn’t have been running at all Schweich: I haven’t made any announcements yet TMT: So you’ll lead the ticket Schweich: I like being in office and I like meeting people on the campaign trail What I don’t like is the despicable lack of integrity that so many people exhibit when you run for office Whether it’s the crazy things they come up with or the things way off base They tried to characterize me in the race as “pro illegal immigration.” Somebody said I’d endorsed Barack Obama somebody said I threw something at somebody at an event I wasn’t even attending It’s dealing with the cannibalistic attitude some Republicans have trying to destroy each other with anything but the truth I fought hard as an anti-corruption official I just wish we didn’t have to have so many in the party TMT: Do you have passion for the people in the state You don’t hear in the media about when I go to the city of Diamond or Indian Pointe or Mountain Grove or Pacific and these people have put a petition together for an audit and I personally deliver the results of that audit at a town hall meeting The level of appreciation these people have for you helping them clean up the government and nobody sees that outside of those communities and it’s the most rewarding part of the job Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich dies Thursday morning in what police are calling an "apparent suicide." who fatally shot himself in an apparent suicide had vowed to take down the state's most powerful politicians and donors when he launched an anti-corruption campaign for governor last month Tom Schweich described having knots in his stomach over what he thought was an anti-Semitic whisper campaign by a GOP consultant who now runs the state party led by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Kurt Schaefer said Schweich’s audit would assist them in effectively reviewing “tens of thousands” of pages of documents regarding the scanning process “The Senate Appropriations Committee intends to continue to vigorously pursue this outrageous invasion of personal privacy through the budget process,” he said the Senate does not have the ability to delve into and confirm the funding sources and total amount spent over the past few years to implement these new procedures.” The Republican-led outrage has grown after Stoddard County resident Eric Griffin filed suit against his local fee office after they tried to scan his personal documents when he went in to file for a Conceal Carry Endorsement After a fee office employee attempted to scan some of his documents and the fee office would not allow him to obtain his license joined by Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey and Majority Floor Leader Ron Richard said they want to know whether the department’s new scanning procedures — which includes the use of third-party machines and cameras with the ability to scan bio-metric data — violate state statute that prevents implementation of the federal REAL ID Act of 2006 Opponents of the department’s new procedures have not demonstrated that the documents have been sent to the federal government Mayer said earlier this month in a ruling removing a temporary injunction that ordered the scanning of documents be stopped Stoddard County Prosecutor Russ Oliver said at the time that the collection itself Read the letter: Page 1, Page 2 Tom Schweich was sworn in today during a ceremony inside the State Capitol Rotunda.  Schweich told the audience that he will look for ways to reduce the cost of government and to improve the way it functions "Our audits will not only be thorough and tenacious but we will follow through," Schweich said.  "We will work collaboratively with the people we are auditing but we will also make sure  they implement the recommendations we agree on...we will follow up Schweich says he'll talk more about his priorities on Wednesday when he's scheduled to announce his senior staff The keynote speaker at today's ceremony was retired U.S. Senator John Danforth who encouraged Schweich to run for State Auditor "It's highly likely that he will drive all of you in state government nuts," Danforth told the audience.  "But then it's the job of a good auditor to drive people nuts." Danforth said afterward that Schweich is committed to serving the entire four-year term of office following accusations during the campaign that he plans to use the State Auditor's office as a stepping stone to higher office Schweich defeated Democratic incumbent   in the November elections.  Montee now chairs the Missouri Democratic Party South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws is racing to hit a Nov 8 signature gathering deadline for the 2022 ballot as a back-up plan Matthew Schweich has started every Thursday morning for the past six months by logging onto the South Dakota Supreme Court’s opinion page and hitting the refresh button Twenty-seven straight weeks, the campaign director for South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) a statewide ballot question committee based out of Sioux Falls as time and time again he finds that the five-justice court remains a no-decision on the constitutionality of Amendment A—the 2020 voter-approved adult-use cannabis ballot measure In addition to being the SDBML campaign director, Schweich also serves as the deputy director of reform organization Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) SDBML | southdakotamarijuana.orgMatthew Schweich, Campaign Director, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws.“Eight o’clock sharp every Thursday morning,” Schweich said about when the South Dakota Supreme Court updates its issued opinions online each week “I’d hate to count up all those Thursdays that there’s been no ruling on the Amendment A case.” Last November, 54.2% of South Dakota voters cast ballots in favor of Amendment A, to legalize adult-use cannabis, but Republican Gov. Kristi Noem launched a taxpayer-funded lawsuit challenging the ballot measure, claiming it violated the state’s one-subject rule Without the Supreme Court’s decision, Amendment A currently sits unconstitutional, which Circuit Judge Christina Klinger ruled in February who opposed legalization leading up to the 2020 election nominated Klinger to the state’s Sixth Circuit Court in early 2019 The Supreme Court heard arguments on Amendment A in late April but the judicial body has remained silent since deadline looms to gather roughly 17,000 valid signatures to qualify for the 2022 ballot in case the Supreme Court upholds Klinger’s ruling that Amendment A is unconstitutional RELATED: Arguments on Amendment A Unfold in Front of South Dakota Supreme Court we’ve got hundreds of volunteers all over the state and we’ve got 40 signing locations all over South Dakota,” Schweich said “And we’re just going to have to rely on our volunteers to come up big for us I think there’s a very good chance we’ll get what we need and be able to submit [on Nov Schweich said he hopes SDBML will collect 22,000 to 23,000 signatures—to provide a 5,000 to 6,000 buffer—in case some of the signatures are not validated (i.e. signees who do not write their information legibly or who think they’re registered to vote when in fact they are not) SDBML | southdakotamarijuana.orgGoing through the same ballot initiative process two years ago South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws staff and volunteers submit petitions for Amendment A and medical cannabis legalization Measure 26 to Secretary of State Steve Barnett on Nov in Pierre.If the signature gathering campaign comes up short for the Nov then SDBML will extend its efforts for the statutory ballot initiative and try to submit by May 2022 instead Initiative organizers plan to do their “big count” Nov and that’s when he’ll know where the signatures stand “The ideal path forward is to submit on Monday,” he said we feel very confident that we have until May to submit these signatures; however The “slight risk” is that the May extension could be rescinded but Schweich said everyone he’s talked to told him that’s very unlikely The steps taken toward putting an adult-use initiative on the 2022 ballot are part of a backup plan Should the Supreme Court restore Amendment A as constitutional—overturning Klinger’s decision—then SDBML would call off its ballot campaign But no one really knows when that decision will come “There is no deadline [for the Supreme Court to make a decision],” Schweich said I expected that the South Dakota Supreme Court would have issued a ruling long before this It’s been over six months since the final hearing … and I think most people in the state are quite confused as to why it’s taking so long.” The decision could become public on any given Thursday Every state has a different judicial branch system Last year in Nebraska, for example, the team at MPP worked to get a medical cannabis initiative approved by Secretary of State Bob Evnen in August only for the Nebraska Supreme Court to rule less than a month later that it violated the state’s single-subject rule Schweich said it was a deeply flawed decision that only ensured suffering medical cannabis patients would continue to be criminalized while trying to live healthier lives the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled against us but they did so on a much quicker timeframe,” Schweich said this week I was never expecting that it would take this long to get a ruling in South Dakota While launching a signature gathering campaign for a 2022 ballot initiative is the responsible thing to do in South Dakota money being spent on another ballot process could all be for nothing should the Supreme Court rule to restore Amendment A SDBML never wanted to launch another campaign who believes his ballot question committee still has a very good chance of winning the Amendment A case When Cannabis Business Times reached out to SDBML attorney Brendan Johnson who argued on its behalf in front of the Supreme Court in April Johnson said he was unable to comment on the case until a final ruling is issued But SDBML fundraising efforts for its signature drive have been supported by those frustrated not only with the Supreme Court’s indecision but also with Noem’s use of taxpayer funds to challenge an amendment that 54.2% of voters backed “I speak with the South Dakota voters every day when they come into our campaign office here in Sioux Falls and I hear them express quite considerable frustration,” he said Noem after her decision to use taxpayer funds to file this lawsuit against Amendment A and they are quite confused as to why it’s taken the state Supreme Court so long to issue a ruling.” But the frustration is helping to motivate people to get involved and become engaged in the political process And it’s not just Noem opponents expressing their grievances “The frustration is very real—I have not seen anything like this before,” Schweich said “There’s so many people who don’t just come in here because they want to sign It’s interesting to listen because these people come from all different political backgrounds We have liberal people and very conservative people libertarians—South Dakotans of all political stripes are coming in here and signing.” Just this year, the Idaho Senate approved legislation to make it more difficult to get citizen-led initiatives or referendums on the ballot. But the Idaho Supreme Court rejected the law in August ruling the legislation was so restrictive that it violated a fundamental right under the state’s constitution The South Dakota Legislature is attempting a similar tactic to make ballot initiatives more difficult through a “supermajority requirement” that it placed on the June 7 would require a three-fifths vote of approval by the Legislature before future citizen-led initiatives could be placed on the ballot Schweich called it a “disgraceful” proposal that has no place on a primary ballot “These attacks on the initiative process come in all different forms,” he said For those of us who work very hard to uphold and effectuate the will of the people through the initiative process we just need to be even more aware of potential risks and we need to work together to fight back against these restrictions While SDBML organizers originally filed five potential ballot initiatives for 2022 they since have decided to move forward with a short statutory legalization initiative because it is the most likely to withstand any future legal challenges That decision comes with a heightened awareness of potential risks associated with the current “era of assaults” on the initiative process going on throughout the country “It just requires a higher level of due diligence on the initiative process and erroring on the side of caution,” Schweich said “[It also means] having a line item in your budget for litigation and monitoring the Legislature for any changes they try to make for the initiative process and having a good relationship with whatever state agency oversees the initiative process Since Klinger ruled Amendment A unconstitutional, and with the Supreme Court currently considering the case, the South Dakota Legislature formed a Marijuana Interim Study Committee, which recommended Oct 27 that the state legalize adult-use cannabis through the legislative process The committee recommended levying a 15% sales tax on cannabis products the creation of a state licensing system and allowing local governments to create restrictions and prohibitions for cannabis businesses We want to help them get that bill passed,” Schweich said we can withdraw our initiative from the ballot it’s better that we’re not because that just means the people are waiting even longer for policy they already approved.” But the South Dakota Legislature will not return to session until January if the Legislature gains enough votes to pass an adult-use bill in both chambers there’s still the risk that Noem could veto the legislation requiring a supermajority to override her pen “There’s a lot of unknowns,” Schweich said we have to keep collecting signatures and maintain that option of going to the ballot next year.” If adult-use legalization all boils down to a 2022 ballot measure JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock’s future in the post he won less than two weeks ago is in question as GOP leaders recover from the shock of Auditor Tom Schweich’s suicide was preparing to speak publicly about what he viewed as an anti-Semitic whisper campaign by Hancock when he took his life Feb The Republican State Committee chose Hancock a political consultant and former executive director of the party “At some point all these issues are going to have to be addressed,” Sen “I don’t think there’s any question the state committee needs to take a serious look at the events and what is going on said he is discussing with rank-and-file lawmakers whether to call for Hancock’s resignation “I am trying to just kind of let things settle before I make a decision,” Hoskins said “As of right now I am just trying to finish mourning Tom’s death and kind of reflect on it this weekend and come up with a decision next week on what I think should happen.” The evidence currently available does not justify asking Hancock to resign said Republican State Committeewoman Sara Walsh of Ashland an employee of Schweich’s in the auditor’s office and a supporter of Hancock during the vote to select a party chairman and I feel no reason to call for him to step down or go along with people who say that,” she said According to reports from The Associated Press Schweich asked Hancock in November about remarks about his religion a Christian who attended an Episcopal church Hancock has denied to the AP that used anti-Jewish prejudice to undermine Schweich’s gubernatorial campaign against former U.S “I don’t have a specific recollection of having said that but it’s plausible that I would have told somebody that Tom was Jewish because I thought he was but I wouldn’t have said it in a derogatory or demeaning fashion,” Hancock told the AP the day Schweich died Hancock has not spoken to reporters since and did not respond to messages from the Tribune seeking comment Jack Danforth said he did not believe a discussion of whether a candidate was Jewish had any purpose other than to profit politically from prejudice “Here’s how to test the credibility of that remark: When was the last time anyone sidled up to you and whispered into your ear that such and such a person is a Presbyterian?” Danforth said Opponents of Hancock brought the allegations to Walsh and other members of the state committee in the weeks leading up to the vote When Walsh was told there were sworn affidavits describing Hancock’s remarks She was directed to someone who was said to have heard the remarks The person told her the evidence was hearsay I really believed as a representative of Republicans I would need to see facts before believing that,” she said Hancock won 50 of the 68 votes cast in the contest for chairman One of the first calls for Hancock to resign came from Rolla attorney and University of Missouri Curator David Steelman who spoke to the Kansas City Star on Wednesday Steelman is the husband of former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman and the party’s 1992 standard bearer for attorney general Many Republican legislative leaders want to stay out of the debate Other lawmakers feel they have a role to play Many lawmakers are the most visible representatives of the party in their communities “It ultimately is the state committee’s decision but a lot of us elected those people to the state committee,” Hoskins said After passing an amendment that would have seen recreational marijuana make its way to South Dakota in 2020 the measure would've legalized the possession use and distribution of marijuana for those older than 21 years old that bill will not make it to the Legislature Now the question begs: Will South Dakotans see another marijuana initiative for the third time in 2024 The answer is a little murky at the moment those with South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws say it’s ‘certainly an option.’ South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws was an organization behind the initiated measure after the 2020 effort which was initially approved by voters the amendment was overturned after Circuit Judge Christina Kilinger ruled that the measure was unconstitutional by violating the single-subject law More: South Dakota voters appear to rejected medical marijuana “I believe it’s more likely than not that there will be another cannabis legalization initiative on the 2024 ballot so it’s pretty early on,” Initiated Measure 27’s campaign manager Matthew Schweich said We’re just gonna have to take a little time to regroup and figure out what we do next.” Schweich warned if a bill reappears on the 2024 ballot it might look a little different next time around with what he called ‘big marijuana’ eyeing a move to South Dakota “This (election) was a chance to make it a South Dakota-homegrown industry and I fear that we may have lost that opportunity,” Schweich said It’s just going to get big marijuana companies more time to plan their entry into South Dakota and really I hope that our businesses can survive.”  there are five licensed cannabis dispensaries Canna-Care and The Flower Shop have already opened their doors There are also three licensed dispensaries in Hartford those dispensaries are only for medical marijuana users More: South Dakota marijuana legalization heads back to ballot in November 2022 election Schweich said the pro-marijuana organization was up against it from a financial standpoint South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws received $65,000 more than Protecting South Dakota Kids in income total according to campaign finance disclosure reports South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws had an income total of $492,647 while Protecting South Dakota Kids reported a total income of $427,186 The pro-marijuana group was faced with paying for signature drives and defending Amendment A in court While the pro-marijuana group received more in income total Protecting South Dakota Kids spent roughly $100,000 more on advertising than South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Protecting Kids South Dakota called the 2022 results a “David versus Goliath moment,” asserting the pro-marijuana group was a “well-funded DC lobby that’s spent millions of dollars on a misinformation campaign.”  Since 2020, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws had contributions worth more than $2.5 million, according to FollowTheMoney.org a website that compiles political funding information from government disclosure agencies with more than $2.2 million of that coming in the 2020 Election the pro-marijuana group reported a total income of $580,278 with $435,000 coming from out-of-state political action committees the leading opposition committee against recreational marijuana in 2020 reported no out-of-state political action committees in its year-end report South Dakota passes Amendment D to expand Medicaid neither organization got significant out-of-state PAC donations For South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws while $2,000 was given to Protecting South Dakota Kids Schweich said fundraising was a driving challenge for South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws “We didn’t have anywhere near the same level of national support This was a shoestring budget,” Scweich said While both organizations didn’t receive much out-of-state report Protecting South Dakota Kids reported $20,500 from in-state political action committees South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws reported $24,400 from in-state political action committees Both organizations also got the majority of their funding in different ways more than $346,000 raised came from individuals compared to South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws’ roughly $31,100 entitles donated $436,000 to the pro-marijuana group That was much higher than the anti-marijuana group which generated a little more than $29,000 Fewer voters in a midterm election also affected results Both sides now argue what the “will of the voters is.”  South Dakotans came together as a statewide grass-roots movement to send a resounding no to the recreational marijuana lobby and yes to protecting our families and our state,” Protecting South Dakotans said in a statement While South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws and Schweich argue 2020 showed the will of the voters “We look at how many people voted in 2020 versus how many people voted in 2022 I think it’s clear which electorate better reflects the will of the people,” Schweich said there’s already legalized marijuana in the state voters passed Initiated Measure 26 which passed widely the latest data showed that there are 4,634 approved patient cards and 177 approved practitioners in the state It's unclear whether or not that played role in the lower voter turnout an organization that assists with qualifying patients for medical marijuana we are seeing a huge influx of appointments being booked … At our Sioux Falls and Rapid City clinic locations as well as a lot of medical cannabis chatter online,” Paul Barren a representative with My Marijuana Cards said in an email South Dakotans will have to wait two more years to see if another recreational marijuana initiative will appear on their ballots tried to steer clear Wednesday of a growing controversy over what role the chairman of the Missouri Republican Party had in an alleged smear campaign against the state's Republican auditor Questions about Missouri GOP Chairman John Hancock's future have increased as Republicans cope with the fallout from allegations that the longtime Republican consultant engaged in a "whisper campaign" against Republican state Auditor Tom Schweich Blunt would not say Wednesday whether Hancock should resign or keep his post as party leader "The state chairman is selected by the state committee "I've been trying to focus on Tom Schweich and his family," Blunt added "I frankly haven't thought about what should come next." fatally shot himself last Thursday in what police say was an apparent suicide at his home in Clayton He was in a bitter primary fight for the Republican gubernatorial nomination against Catherine Hanaway Schweich called reporters for the Associated Press and the St inviting them to his home for an interview that afternoon and saying he was going to go public with allegations that Hancock had been telling people Schweich was Jewish Schweich believed it was part of an anti-Semitic smear campaign against him by Hancock although he had some Jewish ancestry and had said his grandfather had long encouraged him to stand up to anti-Semitism Hancock has denied making anti-Semitic remarks though he has said he mistakenly believed Schweich was Jewish and may have mentioned that in an offhand way to some people delivered a searing eulogy at Schweich's funeral excoriating the tone of today's political campaigns and seeming to lash out at Hancock "That has been proven right here in our home state … The death of Tom Schweich is the natural consequence of what politics has become." said after the service that Hancock "should resign immediately" as Republican Party chairman At least one other well-known Republican echoed that call tweeted this message Tuesday: "Danforth eulogy was beautiful powerful and disturbing Steelman said he was deeply disturbed by the tactics and tone of the gubernatorial race "The Republican establishment had no room for someone as independent as Tom Schweich," said Steelman the husband of former GOP State Treasurer Sarah Steelman and the Republican establishment is interested in control." Steelman also said its "absurd" to believe that Hancock didn't know Schweich was not Jewish "He's an opposition researcher," Steelman noted of Hancock's work as a GOP consultant Hancock did not return a voicemail message on Wednesday to be a guiding voice in helping the party move forward after Schweich's death Steelman said Blunt's influence over Hancock's hold on the party chairmanship is paramount Blunt is the most senior Republican in the state of Missouri I will assume that's because the senator does not want him to." "I think I've answered the question," the senator said Wednesday when pressed on Hancock's tenure Your request has been blocked by our security system due to potential security concerns Please contact us for assistance he thought it superior to all other nations in pursuing democracy for its citizens and setting an example of freedom and fairness for the world Were Fritz Oppenheimer alive today to see that angry mob stage an insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, he might wonder when that changed My husband and I are writing a book about him and the lessons we’ve learned in the process have given us a better understanding of America’s current identity crisis A Berlin-born Jewish soldier in World War I then a stateless refugee from the Nazi regime who used his expertise to rewrite Germany's laws and create a legal foundation that would lead to lasting peace.  Oppenheimer grew up at the turn of the last century Essay: My family learned from Mao's terror. The U.S. should fear the cult of personality Mike Kelly: Protests, demonstrations and riots: How much is too much? Like most of his peers in privileged Jewish families — his father was a wealthy lawyer his mother descended from jewelers for the royal court — he jumped at every opportunity to show loyalty to the Kaiser He signed up to fight for Germany the day he came of age in 1915 at the Somme and Chateau-Thierry and in Galicia He was wounded and gassed multiple times and only left the battlefield when an armistice was declared he watched as the German military's generals refused to accept blame for their failures and pinned the punishing terms of the armistice on socialists, financiers and others on the home front — some of them Jews who’d led and lost the battle on the western front promoted the “stab in the back” theory absolving himself of his role in his country’s defeat unprovable claims to prop up his own profile and later supported an agitator named Adolph Hitler By the time the worldwide depression of the 1930s came along the German people were happy to believe that the source of their suffering was the “others” in their midst post-World War I Germany didn’t have a tradition of representative democracy and the Weimar Republic of the 1920s was plagued by inflation and revolutions But the Nazis who followed them were far from lawless and made sure that each escalation of their brutality was legitimized by a new regulation the Civil Service Law barring Jews from the legal profession hit the hardest and forced him to get an Aryan to front his international law business who sponsored him and his family after they fled on west-bound trains in the middle of the night But as soon as he arrived in their new one-bedroom apartment in Queens he was planning to return to Europe and help destroy the Reich that had made him an exile He gave lectures on behalf of refugees' rights His superiors recommended that he be awarded citizenship which permitted him to rise in the ranks from officer candidate school to a key role with Eisenhower’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force.  Over the year leading up to the German surrender and for a year thereafter he served as head of the Legal Unit for the American Zone working around the clock to replace Nazi legislation with a legal system that fostered justice Reverse-engineering the Nazi legal code was a painstaking effort There were laws on everything from the difference between “citizens” and “Jews” to when it was appropriate to sing the Nazi national anthem Oppenheimer seemed born to the task at hand but he knew that putting laws on the books wasn’t enough because a messianic figure could come along and work through the system to change or ignore them An impartial judicial system had to uphold the law one the people believed would treat them fairly Without buy-in and support from a public who insisted on equal justice for all the country could once again fall into the hands of someone who would blow through norms and try to create a nation in his image So he recruited former colleagues he knew would render impartial verdicts and support democracy In letters to home written during his army basic training Oppenheimer had praised the easy egalitarianism he observed every day among his fellow recruits and described how refreshing the jumble of ethnicities and origin stories in his barracks were to him. America had fought the war against the proposition that might made right and violence was the best way to achieve political ends He continued to work for the government after resigning his military commission serving the State Department as a special assistant for German-Austrian affairs and as a legal adviser to the Secretary of State he wrote a letter to The New York Times saying "The Weimar Republic failed because it did not have the courage and strength to eliminate the antisocial and antidemocratic elements in the German civil service With the constructive leadership of General Clay (the American administrator of occupied Germany) it is hoped that history will not repeat itself." he never imagined that his observation could serve as a warning for his beloved adopted country Cindy Schweich Handler is editor of Montclair ST. LOUIS — Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich, who was a Republican candidate for governor, died of self-inflicted gunshot wound Thursday 54,was hospitalized Thursday following a "medical situation at his home," a spokesman said Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy said Schweich sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound He says officers believe the incident was a suicide "There is nothing to suggest anything other than that (suicide) at this point We are conducting an investigation," he said Schweich's death stunned many of Missouri's top elected officials who described him as a "brilliant" and "devoted" public servant with an "unblemished record" in office Just 13 minutes before police got an emergency call from his home Schweich had a phone conversation with The Associated Press about his plans to go public that afternoon with allegations that the head of the Missouri Republican Party had made anti-Semitic comments about him The state GOP chairman denied doing so in an interview later Thursday Schweich had Jewish ancestry but attended an Episcopal church Spokesman Spence Jackson said his boss had recently appeared upset about the comments people were supposedly making about his religious faith and about a recent radio ad describing Schweich as "a weak candidate for governor" who "could be easily confused for the deputy sheriff of Mayberry" and could "be manipulated." "There were a lot of things that were on his mind." But Jackson said Schweich had been diligently going about his work with another audit scheduled to be released next week Schweich announced he would seek the Republican nomination for governor facing fellow Republican Catherine Hanaway Schweich was re-elected last November to a second term as auditor A prayer service has been scheduled Thursday in the Missouri House chamber "I join all Missourians in mourning the passing of State Auditor Tom Schweich devoted and accomplished public servant who dedicated his career to making Missouri and the world a better place From his courageous work to combat the illegal drug trade abroad in Afghanistan to his tireless efforts to protect the interests of taxpayers here in Missouri Tom Schweich's exceptional intellect and unwavering dedication to public service left a legacy that will endure for many years to come The First Lady and I send our most heartfelt condolences to Tom's wife Kathy and two children Nixon also has ordered flags at all Missouri state facilities to be immediately lowered to half-staff to honor his passing Louis Mayor Francis Slay released a statement saying his thoughts and prayers are with Schweich's family Schweich was a fifth-generation Missourian Louis County before attending Yale University and then Harvard Law School He practiced law for more than 20 years at Bryan Cave LLP and authored three books by unseating Democratic Auditor Susan Montee He previously worked as a private-sector attorney and for the federal government He also served as chief of staff to the U.S Mission to the United Nations and later worked in the State Department where he was assigned to coordinate an anti-drug initiative in Afghanistan From Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich committed suicide following political attacks during his campaign for governor two political suicides have stunned the Republican Party a leading candidate for the party's nomination for governor The tragedies have sparked fresh scrutiny of Missouri's increasingly bruising political system Schweich launched his campaign for governor with a scathing broadside against the state's Republican Party establishment "It's deception and it's fraud and it's influence peddling And it's the kind of thing that worries me about the future of the Republican Party in Missouri Schweich had just sailed to a second term as state auditor and was polling well in the Republican primary for governor the stunning news: The 54-year-old died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Friends said he was distraught over a coordinated assault from Republican colleagues backing his chief primary opponent in the style of the Netflix series House of Cards "He could be easily confused with the deputy sheriff of Mayberry And that is exactly what Schweich's supporters say the attack ad was intended to do — manipulate the candidate "And that has been proven right here in our home state." Danforth said that Schweich believed Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock was mounting a "whisper campaign," telling political donors that Schweich was Jewish But Danforth said it was hurtful and anti-Semitic "The only reason to go around saying that someone is Jewish is to make political profit from religious bigotry," he said Danforth went on to call the attack ad bullying "And a month later it looked like the furor was dying down," says Dave Helling political reporter for the Kansas City Star like the other side might get away with it." Just one month and one day after Schweich's suicide The following Monday police held a press conference in Jackson's hometown "Initial assessment of the scene indicated that Jackson died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," said Jefferson City Police Capt It may look like another political suicide though Jackson's note said only that he couldn't take being unemployed again What would cause two prominent Republicans to take their lives?" asks Marvin Overby political science professor at the University of Missouri "I don't think it would be the prospect of not being the Republican nominee for governor." Overby says that being Jewish is not a big political liability in Missouri Rumors abound about other factors that may have pushed Schweich and Jackson to take their lives Danforth says such talk amounts to a second whisper campaign "Tom Schweich publicly attacked what he thought was corruption in state government and within a month of that he was dead," he says "Spence Jackson publicly called for the resignation of John Hancock and within a month of doing so he was dead." Danforth says Missouri politics has devolved into an arena where ruthless operatives He hopes the suicides will leave voters here to re-examine the political landscape Become an NPR sponsor Update: After the News-Leader published this story, Missouri State University finalized the Spence Jackson Memorial Scholarship JEFFERSON CITY — The adage "follow the money" is often invoked by journalists and political operatives while sussing out corruption and graft But paper trails don't always lead to shady deals Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich was among the contenders for the Republican nomination for governor who grew up in Springfield, was Schweich's right-hand man and a key part of the campaign.  Schweich committed suicide in February 2015 he and Jackson had said they believed John Hancock at the time the chair of the Missouri Republican Party was staging a whisper campaign that falsely described Schweich as Jewish Hancock said at the time it was possible he made such remarks but denied any malice toward Schweich who was a Christian but had Jewish ancestry.  One month after Schweich's death I just can't take being unemployed again." The deaths of Schweich and Jackson and the allegations against Hancock made for a tumultuous time in Missouri politics The GOP nomination eventually went to Eric Greitens (who actually is Jewish) who won the general election to become governor Schweich's campaign was taking the technical steps necessary to wrap up the interrupted candidacy a Springfield attorney who was Schweich's campaign treasurer Dozens of pages filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission reflect refunds to Schweich contributors totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Schweich's campaign account paid consultants on retainer to close out contracts and settled prior debts for travel "Countless hours were spent to try to return as much of the money back to the donors that contributed to Tom Schweich's campaign," Passanise said so I tried to honor him with how he would have conducted his affairs." paperwork was filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission to dissolve Schweich's campaign fund The final financial activity the account recorded was a charitable donation of $34,551.50 It was described simply: "Payable to the following: Missouri State University Spence Jackson Memorial Scholarship." and Tom had thought a lot of Spence," Passanise said. "I felt that with the remaining money in the campaign that it was a good way to honor Spence for his work for the auditor's office and for Tom and I wanted to have some good come out of it." a local financial adviser and state finance chair for the Missouri Republican Party, as being instrumental in the establishment of the fund Layman and Jackson were close friends and fraternity brothers at MSU and Layman was the Jackson family's de facto spokesman amid a deluge of inquiries in 2015 Layman said he set up the fund with approval from Jackson's immediate family childhood friends and Missouri political types Layman also reached out through Springfield native Trish Vincent now chief of staff to Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, to secure the Schweich family's approval as well "We set up this scholarship to honor a great person who was taken from this earth too soon," Layman said in a statement "This was the least we could do to help bring some good from two awful tragedies will have a legacy that continues to make a difference." Other donations include $250 from John Combest, a Monsanto employee who maintains a daily online aggregation of Missouri political news coverage Combest told the News-Leader that his employer matched his contribution "Spence was such a great dude and anything that can be done to honor his memory is appreciated," Combest said publisher of a statewide political media outlet confirmed that he too donated to the scholarship fund "Spence was a quality person who had a passion for communicating," Faughn said and it’s a credit to his memory and Jeff Layman for giving people this chance to utilize his memory to help others enter the communications field." This fall — more than three and a half years after the suicides — politically minded MSU students should be able to benefit from the scholarship dedicated to Jackson's memory Full-time undergraduate students majoring in political science who can demonstrate a financial need are eligible to apply for the $1,000 annual awards university spokeswoman Andrea Mostyn told the News-Leader A Jackson scholarship would be to one student split across semesters "The scholarship application that students fill out to apply for privately-funded scholarships through the (MSU) Foundation includes a personal statement as well as a variety of essays etc.," Mostyn said in late January. "Although this scholarship is not set up at this time to require an essay all students who apply are strongly encouraged to fill out the personal statement and any potentially applicable essays so that the committee who selects recipients has the benefit of a more in-depth knowledge about the applicant." The university does not identify donors and has not publicized the scholarship yet due to a technicality involving one donor After the News-Leader published this story online, Mostyn said Thursday that MSU had finalized and posted the scholarship online An additional criterion of preference for students from a single-parent home was added Mostyn said it was "common that it takes a few years for the value of the endowment to grow enough to sustain a scholarship." Prospective donors can contribute on the MSU foundation's website at bit.ly/SpenceDonation I was deeply touched with sadness and anger after reading in the News-Leader about Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich's suicide political bullying and an anti-Semitic whisper campaign led his friend to kill himself That has been proven right here in our home state The death of Tom Schweich is the natural consequence of what politics has become." He is right Bullying is discrimination and should have legal consequences Nobody should be discriminated against in any life field for any reason It harms a person's dignity and sometimes can lead to death in practice consequences don't apply very often to bullies According to a story in the News-Leader on March 5 "Schweich believed it was part of an anti-Semitic smear campaign against him by (Missouri GOP Chairman John) Hancock." in regard to circulating rumors about Schweich's death One of the most important virtues in life is respect for other people It is the greatest treasure which cannot be denied An example of a man as a master of his dignity is Socrates He had to make a very difficult choice between life without his philosophy and death He knew that the philosophy was all he had and his life would lose value in one of his books titled "You Who Wronged," said Danforth expressed "overwhelming anger that politics has gone so hideously wrong" as he spoke at a memorial services that drew many of Missouri's top elected officials and hundreds of others to the Episcopal church that Schweich had attended in suburban St "That has been proven right here in our home state." two children and an apparently rising political career He had launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for governor just a month before his death and was already locked in a contentious primary with Catherine Hanaway served 18 years as a Republican senator before retiring in 1995 and remains one of the more respected elder statesmen of Missouri politics Danforth said he had talked with Schweich two days before his death He said Schweich was upset about a radio ad from a political action committee that mocked his physical appearance and suggested he was a pawn of Democrats who would "quickly squash him like the little bug that he is" in a general election But Danforth said Schweich was particularly distraught by what he perceived to be an anti-Semitic whispering campaign by the chairman of the Missouri Republican party who Schweich said had been telling people that Schweich was Jewish but had some Jewish ancestry and had said his grandfather had long-encouraged him to stand up to anti-Semitism though he has acknowledged he mistakenly believed Schweich was Jewish and may have mentioned it in an off-hand way to some people Hancock didn't attend the memorial service and declined to comment about Danforth's remarks "Today is not an appropriate time to engage in political back-and-forth," state GOP Executive Director Jonathon Prouty said on Hancock's behalf said after the service that Hancock "should resign immediately" as Republican party chairman and that Hanaway should "do some serious soul-searching about the race she's run so far and the people she's associated with." Hanaway did not attend the funeral and a spokesman for her said she will not have any comment Danforth recited a passage from the gospel of Matthew in which Jesus describes as blessed those "who are persecuted for righteousness sake" and against whom others "utter all kinds of evil against you on my behalf." He said Schweich was a "model public servant" who "was a person easily hurt and quickly offended" "” so much so that Danforth said he had tried to discourage Schweich from entering politics six years ago because he didn't believe Schweich had the temperament for it Danforth said he is haunted by the fact that he had advised Schweich not to personally go public last week with the allegations of the anti-Semitic whispering campaign and had suggested Schweich should have someone else supply that information to the media "He may have thought that I had abandoned him "” left him on the high ground all alone," Danforth said Schweich had invited reporters for The Associated Press and the St Louis Post-Dispatch to his home for an afternoon interview saying he was ready to go public with the allegations about the anti-Semitic campaign He shot himself about 13 minutes after talking to the AP reporter over the phone "The death of Tom Schweich is the natural consequence of what politics has become," Danforth said "It is now our duty "” yours and mine "” to turn politics into something much better than its now so miserable state." with his family seated on one side and Gov Jay Nixon and other top officials seated on the other The pews were packed and hundreds of people stood along the side isles Schweich was first elected in 2010 and had easily won election to a second He previously served as Danforth's chief of staff for a 1999 federal investigation into the deadly government siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco and followed Danforth to the United Nations Bush appointed Schweich to the State Department in 2005 as an international law enforcement official and picked Schweich two years later to coordinate the anti-drug and justice reform efforts in Afghanistan This week’s episode of Politically Speaking features Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock Louis Public Radio reporters Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies first made his mark as a teenager when he led the effort to rescue and restore the rooming house in St Louis where composer Scott Joplin crafted many of his most famous ragtime tunes Hancock served two terms in the Missouri House as a state legislator representing part of central St Hancock made two unsuccessful campaigns for Missouri secretary of state in 1992 and 1996 then transitioned into political consulting He was executive director of the Missouri Republican Party from 1997 to 2003 – a time when the state party was ascending in power and influence After several years of helping out various campaigns Hancock ran for and won the chairmanship of the Missouri Republican Party earlier this year Hancock was aiding former House Speaker Catherine Hanaway’s campaign for governor – which for months was on a collision course with state Auditor Tom Schweich Schweich committed suicide less than a week after Hancock won the Missouri GOP chairmanship some of Schweich’s political allies – including former U.S John Danforth – accused Hancock of engaging in an anti-Semitic “whispering campaign'' by making erroneous comments that Schweich was Jewish although his father is Jewish and grandfather was also Jewish Hancock has acknowledged that he may have mistakenly told some GOP activists last fall that he thought Schweich was Jewish but he says he refrained from doing so after he was corrected by Danforth Hancock has strenuously denied that he was trying to spread any bigoted rumors and so far has declined to step down as party chairman Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum Follow Jo Mannies on Twitter: @jmannies Follow John Hancock on Twitter: @johnrhancock The Politically Speaking Hour makes government and politics understandable and accessible at this crucial point in history host Jason Rosenbaum will question elected officials and shine the spotlight on the issues that matter And we’ll empower your voice into the conversation about the future of our community and states The Politically Speaking Hour is sponsored by the Sue & Lynn Schneider Charitable Fund There were few surprises in southeast Missouri following Tuesday’s midterm election Congressman Jason Smith (R) beat four opponents to win reelection to Congress Missouri auditor Tom Schweich (R) faced only token opposition in the only statewide race on the ballot Kathy Swan (R) cruised to victory in her reelection campaign for the Missouri House of Representative in District 149 Swan gathered 69 percent to beat Gary Gaines (D) and Greg Tlapek (L) The last Democratically-held Missouri House district in Southeast Missouri has turned to the GOP Don Rone (R) captured Democrat Steve Hodges’ former district Shelley Keeney (R) is going back to the Missouri House of Representatives Madison and south Perry County bested Charles Elrod (D) by gaining nearly three-quarters of votes cast who represents Stoddard County and parts of Scott County Cape Girardeau voters choose to extend a 1/8 cent fire sales tax Sixty percent of voters chose to extend the tax which funds public safety — Police released the full contents of a suicide note left by Spence Jackson that appear to reveal that concerns about his future employment drove the longtime Missouri politico to suicide I just can’t take being unemployed again.” that police say they found in Jackson’s apartment on Sunday JCPD indicated that they wanted to put an end to at least some speculation about the suicide’s possible connection with the suicide of State Auditor Tom Schweich last month despite early reports he’d missed work that day Jackson worked until about noon on Friday before he left for lunch and did not return Police said at the time of his death he was still employed with the Auditor’s office and that coworkers indicated nothing seemed amiss on his final day Jackson’s body was discovered late Sunday evening when his mother contacted Jefferson City Police when her son failed to respond to numerous attempts to contact him throughout the weekend Police indicated they believed Jackson died sometime late Friday or early Saturday There was no sign of struggle or forced entry and Jackson appeared to have died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound from a .357 magnum handgun While police are treating the case as a likely suicide they are also investigating for any foul play Jackson’s death came about a month after the suicide of Schweich who similarly shot himself in his Clayton home Schweich had contacted reporters in the minutes leading up to his death and was preparing to publicly accuse Missouri Republican Party Chairman John Hancock of conducting an anti-Semitic “whisper campaign” against his bid for governor Jackson became the first person to publicly call for Hancock’s resignation in the wake of Schweich’s suicide approaching reporters just minutes after Schweich’s funeral to call on Hancock and Republican candidate for governor Catherine Hanaway to “step aside.” Hancock has vehemently denied he made any anti-Semitic statements even after David Humphreys submitted a sworn affidavit that Hancock had made remarks to him that he found offensive in relation to Schweich’s Jewish ancestry Police promised to release more details as they come and are continuing to treat the incident as a likely suicide Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter E-edition PLUS unlimited articles & videos Personalized news alerts with our mobile app *Refers to the latest 2 years of stltoday.com stories Please subscribe to continue reading… LOUIS • John Hancock's radio co-host jumped to his defense Wednesday insisting that the Missouri Republican state party chairman wouldn't have made anti-Semitic remarks or done anything else to prompt state Auditor Tom Schweich's suicide last week “I've known John 20 years ... and I know that John's not an anti-Semite or a bigot,” Michael Kelley, Hancock's Democratic partner on KMOX Radio's bipartisan talk show "Hancock & Kelley," told the Post-Dispatch today “Anyone who rushes to the conclusions that are being drawn here is not thinking about the issues that surround a person's decision to commit suicide.” Kelley added: “John has a clear conscience He also is being implicated in some things that just aren't true Kelley's unprompted call to the newspaper is the latest move in a struggle between Hancock and his detractors in the wake of Schweich's Feb Those detractors include former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., whose eulogy at Schweich's funeral Tuesday made unnamed but obvious reference to Hancock's behind-the-scenes conflict with Schweich and implied that it played a role in Schweich's death newly elected to his second term as state auditor and one of two Republican front-runners for next year’s GOP gubernatorial nomination died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on Feb Schweich had earlier alleged that Hancock had deliberately spread disinformation about Schweich’s religion Schweich had set up an interview for later in the day in his home with reporters for the Post-Dispatch and the Associated Press to discuss those allegations Hancock is a consultant who has worked for Catherine Hanaway Schweich's main opponent in the GOP gubernatorial race Schweich had claimed that Hancock had mentioned to people in passing that Schweich was Jewish He said he believed the mentions of his faith heritage were intended to harm him politically in a gubernatorial primary in which many Republican voters are evangelical Christians Hancock hasn’t denied that he may have mentioned his mistaken belief that Schweich was Jewish but he has adamantly denied it was intended as a smear dismissed that explanation and painted the conflict as a deliberate anti-Semitic campaign designed to hurt Schweich He also invoked a taunting radio ad against Schweich run by a PAC that has had ties to Hanaway's campaign which made fun of Schweich's appearance and derided him as a "little bug." "Words do hurt. Words can kill," said Danforth Schweich's spokesman at the auditor's office has called for Hancock's resignation as chairman of the party While major party officials so far aren't joining in that call against Hancock they aren't offering much in the way of public support "This is ultimately up to the Republican State Committee which elects the State Party Chairman,” U.S said in a written statement when asked whether Hancock should resign “I continue to focus my attention on remembering Tom's life and work in the wake of this tragedy." said through a spokesman that he favors a systemic overhaul to get some of the dirt out of Missouri politics But on the question of whether Hancock should step down he called it “a matter for the state party.” when asked Wednesday whether Hancock should resign responded with a similarly neutral written statement: “I suspended my campaign last week out of reverence to Auditor Schweich’s family and will not add any additional commentary to further politicize this tragedy I continue to pray for the Schweich family during this difficult time." Hancock's radio partner and a former Missouri Democratic Party executive director expressed admiration for Danforth as a political icon in Missouri But he strenuously took issue with the suggestion that politics would have prompted Schweich's suicide “The senator is in the same the position that so many of us are in trying to have a rational explanation as to why someone takes their own life It's only human nature that we look for a cause," said Kelley "But this is one of the most irrational acts that can take place .. No one really can quite understand the thought process that a person is in when they choose to take their own life.” Email notifications are only sent once a day The auditor and gubernatorial candidate believed he was the victim of a whispering campaign even after advisers suggested he stop focusing on… "What has been said is worse than anything in my memory He faced a mocking radio ad comparing him to Mayberry Deputy Barney Fife and constant barbs through fake accounts on social media If we are going to try to look into people’s hearts we really have to try to look into the mind of Tom Schweich If a man accuses somebody of something and then kills himself Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.