Where have you gone?

So people are getting bored of Joshua, eh? I guess it might just be time to stick him back in a closet and wait another five years until he's appreciated again.
Today I went to a Republican Jewish Coalition event at the Walker Art Center which was ostensibly about honoring pro-Israel governors. Sure, we got there half-way through, but is that any excuse for there being no governors when I arrived? Dennis Prager emceed the event, but as I say, it was basically over by the time I got there. Nu nu. The good news was that I got to see a lot of people eat non-Kosher food (and I'm not being OCD Frum here either-we're talking Wolfgang Puck catering) at a Jewish event. Sure, there was Kosher food also available, but it was by the back wall, and all the servers going round with tasty-looking Hors Dourves were certainly not carrying Kosher food on their trays. I asked several people if they wanted to put on Tefillin. One, who looked like an ex-Yeshivishe guy, declined, and wondered if I should be asking people to put on Tefillin at a private event. I said, "Hey, it might be private, but by golly it's Jewish!" He didn't put on, and neither did anyone else, but hey, at least I tried, right?
Following this extravaganza it was time for Civic Fest, which is a really cool event in the Minneapolis (our not so fair twin) Convention Center, which brings together lots of political and Minnesota exhibits under one roof. At the RJC they were giving out lanyard-type credential thingamajiggies. You know, the things that hang from people's necks and allow them to do shtuff from which mere mortals are forbidden? Great.
The reason I bring this up is that workers at Civic Fest wanted to know if I was a delegate to the RNC. I told them that I wasn't, which was the whole truth, but wish I had just once said that I was, and seen what happened. Maybe they take delegates into a special room and give them lots of money. Maybe they don't. But I'll never know, will I?
Anyway, Civic Fest itself was very nice. I shmoozed with several people, and even gave an Israeli vendor the chance to put on Tefillin. He said he had done it earlier that morning, though I didn't believe him too much. Let's just say that I trusted him about as far as I'd trust a dead dog in April, which ain't too much at all.

And that, my friends and compatriots, is how the west was won.